Brendon Leighton
Area Facilities Manager (Northampton Schools)
About
A highly accomplished, IOSH-certified Facilities & Estates Manager with over a decade of experience driving operational excellence across diverse multi-site portfolios, educational estates, commercial infrastructure, and pastoral environments. Proven track record managing large-scale teams (up to 100 direct reports), multi-million-pound service provisions, and complex hard/soft FM contracts. Expert in statutory compliance, health and safety management, and procurement strategies that optimize budget lifecycle costs.
Exceptional stakeholder manager adept at navigating client relationships, local council reviews, and cross-functional corporate environments.
Experience
Area Facilities Manager (Northampton Schools) - AMEY - Northampton, UK
(2022-07)
Strategically lead total facilities management operations across a multi-site educational portfolio consisting of 12 schools (11 primary, 1 secondary), ensuring pristine environment operationality and absolute statutory compliance.
- Team Leadership: Direct, mentor, and schedule a robust workforce of 100 personnel, including site managers, caretakers, reactive caretakers, handymen, and cleaning teams.
- Operations & PPM: Oversee the rigorous execution of planned preventative maintenance programs alongside fast-paced reactive services to exceed strict customer SLAs.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary interface for local council and school representatives, chairing quarterly service performance and contract compliance reviews.
- Health & Safety: Serve as the designated H&S lead, conducting thorough workplace safety investigations, routine facilities audits, and implementing comprehensive safety policies.
- Commercial Management: Manage the regional asset register, authorize timesheets, control overheads, and procure tools, materials, and specialized equipment.
Multi-Site Manager (Covid-19 Test Centres) - G4S / SODEXO - UK
(2021-04 - 2022-07)
Directed high-velocity, public-facing facilities operations across multiple temporary clinical environments, ensuring strict regulatory adherence.
- Compliance Auditing: Pioneered comprehensive safety, health, and environmental compliance audits to safeguard public health and preserve onsite documentation integrity.
- Performance Tracking: Leveraged management information (MI) data to track, report, and continuously optimize workforce efficiency and site delivery targets.
- Commercial Variations: Compiled and negotiated precise cost estimates for infrastructural variations, variations in equipment, and material consumables.
- Talent Cultivation: Orchestrated end-to-end recruitment, onboarding, training, and performance reward matrices for dynamic operational teams.
Facilities & Campus Manager - COMMONGROUND CHURCH - South Africa
(2020-01 - 2020-12)
Managed all operational, security, and infrastructural elements of a busy community campus.
- Contract Lifecycle Management: Sourced, negotiated, and audited high-value corporate bids and vendor tenders, driving significant annual cost-efficiencies.
- Project Supervision: Oversaw major campus refurbishments, building renovations, and structural modernizations on time and under budget.
- Central Services: Supervised soft service provisions including catering, car parking, waste streams, physical security, and front-of-house operations.
Functions, Facilities & Maintenance Manager - NEWLIFE CHURCH - South Africa
(2019-01 - 2019-12)
Controlled asset preservation and facility system functionality for properties and event assemblies.
- Asset Care: Executed comprehensive technical property inspections to identify and rapidly rectify system failures, structural vulnerabilities, and equipment defects.
- Cost Reductions: Developed targeted operational cost-containment initiatives that optimized central utility and maintenance expenditures.
- Pastoral Care & Community Engagement: Served as a junior member of the pastoral team, conducting hospital visits and actively engaging with the local community to support engagement.
Procurement, Warehouse & Fleet Manager - GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN SERVICES - South Africa
(2014-07 - 2018-11)
Managed industrial warehouse assets, logistics personnel, building maintenance, and a commercial vehicle fleet.
- Asset Care: Managed industrial warehouse assets, logistics personnel, building maintenance schedules, and a commercial vehicle fleet.
- Cost Reduction: Conducted periodic price checks on raw materials and negotiated payment terms with suppliers; managed company fleet logistics and procurement of tracking units.
Warehouse & Logistics Manager / Paediatric Co-ordinator - SEQOL - Swindon, UK
(2009-09 - 2014-04)
Led healthcare equipment warehousing operations, staff development, and coordinated closely with occupational therapists and NHS nurses.
- Logistics Delivery: Led medical equipment warehousing operations, workforce development plans, and stock control strategies.
- Healthcare Investigations: Assisted the Service Manager with MHRA investigations and adverse incidents; organized precision equipment repairs with external contractors.
Technical Officer - TELKOM SOUTH AFRICA - South Africa
(1998-08 - 2008-07)
- Installations and repairs: Developed a ten-year technical foundation executing complex infrastructure data line cabling, PABX systems, and telecommunication networking (ADSL, ISDN, and basic Cisco programming).
Education
Level 7 Diploma - Facilities Management - Wise Campus
Level 7 Advanced Diploma - Leadership Management & Team Leader - CPD
Diploma - Civil Engineering (S3) - Eastern Cape Technikon
Bachelor’s degree - religious education - CFCI College
Matric (South African High School Certificate) - Port Rex Technical High School
